Hapkido

Yes, sometimes to find inspiration for writing, I will go as far as attending a Hapkido class.

Hapkido is one of the Martial Arts created here in Korea. Yesterday was my first class.

Now for those of you laughing at me already, thinking: 1) About the "Seinfeld" episode where Kramer takes Karate classes and beats up on the kids, until they tire of it and gang up on him after class; or 2) comparing me to Amico hear me out.

I am in Asia and I need exercise. What better way to make good use of my time here than to take on a Martial Arts course. Besides, if any of you continue to laugh at me, the next time I see you, I will drop you. It's that simple.

I know Martial Arts are practiced for "self defense" but I'm using for "self offense." I want to become the physical bully I've always wanted to be.

No more paying for things I don't want to pay for. No more intentionally not looking at gang members hoping they don't remember me or my past work as a reporter. No more being polite to people larger than me out of fear they can take me.

Yes, Hapkido does not focus on attack moves but more defense moves that turn the attackers force into a weapon against him. (And I say him, because I don't need Hapkido to defend myself against a chick.) But these moves of defense can easily be tailored to moves of attack.

Look out world, I'm gonna kick your ass.

OK, I'm back and I want your help

Look folks, I've been MIA for a while, but everything's OK.

It was a two-fold problem.

1) I didn't have many ideas.
Sometimes when writing I need to take a break and get some ideas. Take a look around and see what's happening and what would make a good post. I don't want to post just for the sake of posting (though this is what it feels like). I want to write a good entry, a good story that you will enjoy reading and - more importantly - that I will enjoy writing.

2) I didn't feel like writing.
I was a reporter for three years, as many of you know. There's little room to "find your motivation" as a reporter. There's a deadline and space to fill. You write because you have to.

I remember once hearing fellow SC alumnus Art Buchwald tell a story upon visiting the Annenberg School for Communication. Buchwald said, "When you're a reporter, there's no such thing as writer's block. You just write."

So I'm back and now comes the part where I ask for your help. Send me some ideas. I have some, but I want more. And more importantly, I want to know what you want to know. What questions do you have about Korea? Do you want to hear anything in particular? Do you want to know more about daily life, school or teaching? What do you want to hear about? I'll keep this post up for a week until I get some ideas from you people.

And for those of you reading this from the good ole' Palmdale, California, stop asking Marissa when I am going to post again. Instead write me and ask ME!!! (And include some ideas for blog posts.)

Field Trip!!!

Yes, it was field trip day a few weeks ago. One afternoon, the school closed early and we booked it for the Korean National Cemetery followed by a street where Korea's Cherry Blossom Trees bloomed.

I found it strange though that when we got to the Korean National Cemetery, it was only teachers. (Grade 3 Teachers specifically.)

"Where are the students," I asked.

"They go next week," my co-teacher replied.

So we're taking a field trip for teachers? Alright, I'll roll with it.

The first stop, the Korean National Cemetery, was a nice sight. It featured tanks, airplanes and cannons used by the Korean Military and monuments to fallen soldiers. But what I really noticed was how damn neat and tidy the tombstones were.

By far the cleanest and neatest cemetery I've ever seen. And I've been to a lot of cemeteries.


Notice how each headstone has alternating red or yellow flowers.

I asked my co-teacher, Son Young, "Do all cemeteries in Korea look like this, or is this one special because it's the government cemetery?"

"All the cemeteries are like this," she said. I still don't know whether to believe her and will make trips to witness these Necropoli for myself.

As a fan of cemeteries, I must say it was somewhat disappointing. Every single headstone looks the same and carries only text (which I couldn't read because it's written in Korean.)

But there was no difference in height, width or style amongst the tombstones. Kind of boring for a cemetery aficionado like myself.

But, as a former death care professional, I admired the ease this created for cemetery maintenance and upkeep. Mowers do not have to zig and zag between odd shaped rows. There was no variation in a row of column of headstones.

Every headstone was numbered too, which would make navigating the cemetery ideal.

The Korean Cemetery is parallel with what I've learned of Korean society. Because it's based on the Confucian Philosophy, there is not a strong desire for people to stand out. The group is considered more important, as is benefiting the group. It's kind of nice living amongst this philosophy when American children and people thing they are all special and everyone wants to hear what they have to say.